Drain yogurt for 1 hour in a cheesecloth-lined strainer to remove some of its water. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt over the grated cucumber and drain, 10 to15 minutes, to extract excess water. Add drained cucumber to yogurt, along with pepper, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with mint leaves. Serve with pita triangles or grilled fish.

For St. Lazarus Feast day this year we decided to make something that would resemble the wrapped-for-burial body of the saint. We found this recipe for the occasion, sheets of buttered or oiled phyllo, enshrouding cooked, well-spiced ground beef, the oil and spices reminding us of ancient Jewish burial customs:

3. Remove one phyllo sheet from package and keep the rest covered with a clean cloth until ready to use. On a flat work surface, cut the phyllo sheet into 2 14x9-inch rectangles. Brush the first half-sheet with melted butter, place the 2nd half on top of it and brush again with butter. Place a generous teaspoon of the meat mixture near the narrow end of the dough. Fold dough over the top of the meat, fold in the sides of the dough, and roll into a narrow tube (cigar) shape. Repeat until all the meat has been rolled up. Arrange "deceased" on prepared baking sheet.

I started making these cookies every Christmas back when I was a newlywed and my brother-in-law gave me Martha Stewart's Christmas. They are the one cookie about which John asks every year, "Hey, are you going to make those cookies with the pepper in them again?" To which I always reply, "Yes dear, again."

1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, pepper, espresso powder, and cinnamon into a large bowl; set aside. 2. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. 3. Turn out dough onto a piece of parchment paper, and roll into a 2-inch-diameter log. Roll log in the parchment. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. 4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove log from parchment paper. Let soften slightly at room temperature, about 5 minutes. Roll log in sanding sugar, gently pressing down to adhere sugar to dough. Transfer log to a cutting board, and slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1 inch apart. Sprinkle each round with freshly ground pepper. 5. Bake cookies until there is slight resistance when you lightly touch centers, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Christ, the Bread of Angels, has been honored by special "Christmas Bread" in every European country. Most delicious of these are "Brioche" or French Christmas bread, the German "Christstollen" whose criss-cross shape reminds us of the Child in swaddling clothes, and "Melachrino" or Greek spice cake. The latter our children call Hidden Jesus Bread, because of the Infant baked in it. Recipes for all three are from Mrs. Berger's "Cooking for Christ." Her family like ours is large. One half of her recipe is usually sufficient for a small family. Margarine may be used in place of butter.

"Brioche," a very light rich bread, is best mixed on Christmas Eve so the dough can stand before it is baked. Use a very hot oven on Christmas morning to make the dough rise quickly. The crust is crisp and brown, the center soft when the dough is handled lightly.

Mix yeast with warm water and one cup flour. Cover and set aside to rise. Mix remaining dry ingredients. Work in butter with your fingers. Add eggs. Add milk very slowly. (The dough should be softer than bread dough.) Mix in yeast combination and let rise one to two hours. Punch down and keep in a cold place until ready to use. Then shape in loaves. Place in two 6x10 loaf pans. Put in warm place until dough rises about one third more in size. Brush with beaten egg. Bake in hot oven (450 degrees) until brown. This recipe will make two loaves.

Early Christians brought their bread to the altar at the offertory procession. Some of it was used for the Sacrifice; the rest received a special blessing after the consecration, but was not changed into the Body of Christ. It was taken home as Blessed Bread. Whenever we attend the Byzantine Liturgy at Fordham's Russian Center, we take part in a similar custom.

The mother of the family may use her powers as a member of "the royal priesthood" to which St. Peter refers in his First Epistle. She may sprinkle holy water over the newly-made bread, and pray Holy Mother Church's official blessing:

Mother: Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, Thou the bread of angels, Thou the living bread of eternal life, graciously deign to bless this bread as Thou didst bless the five loaves in the desert that all who partake of it may have health of body and soul. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.

Eating blessed bread makes such an impression upon children that no scrap of it is ever wasted "because it is God's special food."

Christstollen needs plenty of room so that the shape of the Child in swaddling clothes will be surely seen in the folds of dough.

Dissolve yeast and tblsp. of sugar in warm water. Cover and allow to rise. Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and scalded milk cooled to lukewarm. Alternate with flour sifted with salt and nutmeg. Add yeast mixture. Knead until smooth. Add fruits and flavoring. Cover and let dough rise to double its bulk. Knead dough again. Shape dough into ropes about one and one half inches in diameter. For each large stollen make one rope three feet long and two that are two and a half feet long. Braid the dough. Bring the braid to a point at either end. Place the braid on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in a hot oven (400 degrees) for 25 minutes or until brown. This recipe will make two large Stollen.

After we have received the Eucharistic Bread at Christmas Mass, we like a favorite sweet bread or spice cake which Mrs. Berger calls "Melachrino." In Greece it is customary to hide a silver coin deep in its crust; we bake a tiny figure of the Holy Infant in the dough.

We go to great lengths in Christmas cooking, but there are two shortcuts which we take. One is the use of store cake in the Cassata above and the other the use of prepared mincemeat, and, on occasion, prepared pie crust.

Mincemeat pie at Christmas was originally made in an oblong baking pan to remind us of Christ's birth in a manger, while the richness of its ingredients and the spices remind us of the gifts of the Magi. We use a standard prepared mincemeat and a standard pastry recipe for a two crust pie. A 7x11 cake pan utilizes the dough and leaves enough scraps after the pie is trimmed for a pastry Infant Jesus. This is cut from a Nativity cookie cutter, baked separately and placed on the manger-pie. The gingerbread boy had Baby Jesus for his original model.

As Christmas approaches, the house smells of baking; presents are wrapped; and the wreaths are hung. The children unveil the Christ-Candle and set up their cribs. It is then that their Daddy covers the fireplace mantle with evergreens--Oregon holly when we can afford it--and centers a Madonna and Child with many vigil lights as the focus of the room. A spray of evergreen is placed across the top of every picture in the room; and a piece is wound around a huge white candle placed on the dinner table to symbolize the Light of the world for whom we have made these elaborate preparations. As is the Irish custom, the candle is lighted by the man of the house after the Angelus on Christmas eve.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe Rachel tracked down. We liked it because it was quick to prepare in the morning, having mixed up all the dry ingredients the night before. We didn't have any buttermilk, so she used John's Kefir instead.

Makes 8 buns. Published May 1, 2002.

Melted butter is used in both the filling and the dough and to grease the pan; it’s easiest to melt the total amount (8 tablespoons) at once and measure it out as you need it. The finished buns are best eaten warm, but they hold reasonably well for up to 2 hours.

2. To make cinnamon-sugar filling: Combine sugars, spices, and salt in small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon melted butter and stir with fork or fingers until mixture resembles wet sand; set filling mixture aside.

3. To make biscuit dough: Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Whisk buttermilk and 2 tablespoons melted butter in measuring cup or small bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir with wooden spoon until liquid is absorbed (dough will look very shaggy), about 30 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead until just smooth and no longer shaggy.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

St. Nicholas' feast day, December 6, is one of the highlights ofthe Advent season. It is on this eve that our children hang theirstockings. From babyhood they learn to love the kind bishop withhis mitre, staff and bag of gifts--whose name has become parodiedas "Santa Claus" and whose memory is tarnished by commercialism.In addition to the toys received on this feast, the Christ-Childand His angels bring other gifts on Christmas Eve; and the Magi afew more on Epiphany.

Placing less exclusive emphasis on December 25 as the day ofpresents and also curtailing its gifts somewhat makes it easierto place more emphasis on the religious aspects of that greatholy day. Do other children think ours are queer? Not at all. Ifanything, they are a bit envious of children who receive Yulegifts so early and who enjoy such a happy feast as ourtraditional St. Nicholas Day party. Having an early gift day alsomakes it possible for the children to give some of these gifts asChristmas presents to other less fortunate children.

Treats of the St. Nicholas party are the exchange of gifts,genuine Dutch cookies and Bishopwyn (bishop's wine). For childrenthe wine is grape juice. But the grownups who face the highDecember winds along the Hudson River to pick up their childrenat our house always welcome the mulled Bishopwyn. Its recipe isfrom our favorite cook book, "Cooking for Christ" by FlorenceBerger.

Cream the butter, lard and sugar. Add sour cream alternately withsifted dry ingredients. Stir in the nuts. Knead the dough intorolls. Wrap the rolls in wax paper and chill them in therefrigerator overnight. Roll the dough very thin and cut intoshapes. Bake in moderate oven (375 degrees) for 10 to 15minutes.

The dough may be cut into St. Nicholas shapes, or into the shapeof birds, fish or animals. We also like to cut out stockingshapes and ice them in honor of St. Nicholas, patron of schoolboys.

During the party we light the Advent wreath candle, and thechildren sing Advent hymns. All classes at Corpus Christi Schoolhave wreaths, but some of the children do not have them at home.We have found that parents, enjoying their Bishopwyn, have becomeinterested in the wreath and have integrated the Advent programof school and home as a result of the St. Nicholas Day party.